Method of providing a naming service inside an industrial communication system, and a router

Abstract

Router advertisements containing name information from superordinate subnetworks are received by routers associated with subordinate subnetworks. The router advertisements are supplemented with a topological and/or hierarchical name component associated with the respective router and are distributed inside the respective subordinate subnetwork. Communication terminals independently generate their device name from topological and/or hierarchical name components and a unique name component inside their respective subnetwork.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of providing a naming service inside an industrial communication system comprising subordinate subnetworks, superordinate subnetworks, communication terminals, and routers, the method comprising:
 distributing IPv6 prefixes in the respectively subordinate subnetworks via routers with messages containing router advertisements, the router advertisements comprising a topological and/or hierarchical name component of the respective router, and the topological and/or hierarchical name component being associated with a spatial or hierarchical arrangement of the respective router; 
 receiving router advertisements containing name information from superordinate subnetworks by routers associated with the subordinate subnetworks; 
 supplementing the router advertisements with a topological and/or hierarchical name component associated with the respective router; 
 distributing the supplemented router advertisements inside the respective subordinate subnetwork; and 
 independently generating, by communication terminals, their device name from topological and/or hierarchical name components and a unique name component inside their respective subnetwork; 
 wherein the router advertisements containing name information from superordinate subnetworks are received by routers associated with subordinate subnetworks by a respective functional unit for implementing a distributed naming service; 
 wherein at least one topological and/or hierarchical name component is made available to at least one router by at least one DHCPv6 server and is distributed by said router. 
 
     
     
       2. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the router advertisements containing name information from superordinate subnetworks are supplemented, by routers associated with subordinate subnetworks, with a topological and/or hierarchical name component associated with the respective router by the respective functional unit for implementing the distributed naming service. 
     
     
       3. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a functional unit for implementing a distributed naming service is integrated in each router, respectively. 
     
     
       4. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the router advertisements supplemented with a topological and/or hierarchical name component associated with the respective router are distributed inside the respective subordinate subnetwork by a respective functional unit for distributing router advertisements. 
     
     
       5. The method as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein a functional unit for distributing router advertisements is respectively integrated in each router. 
     
     
       6. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the messages containing router advertisements are transmitted according to the Internet Control Message Protocol Version 6. 
     
     
       7. The method as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the messages containing router advertisements each comprise an option that is used to transmit the supplemented topological and/or hierarchical name components. 
     
     
       8. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the communication terminals independently generate their device name from topological and/or hierarchical name components and a unique name component inside their respective subnetwork by a respective functional unit for implementing a distributed naming service. 
     
     
       9. The method as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein a functional unit for implementing a distributed naming service is respectively integrated in each communication terminal. 
     
     
       10. A router in an industrial communication system,
 wherein the router is configured such that IPv6 prefixes are distributed in respectively subordinate subnetworks using messages containing router advertisements, 
 wherein the router advertisements comprise a topological and/or hierarchical name component of the respective router, and wherein the topological and/or hierarchical name component are associated with a spatial or hierarchical arrangement of the router; and 
 wherein the router is configured such that router advertisements containing name information from superordinate subnetworks are received and are supplemented with a topological and/or hierarchical name component associated with the router and are distributed inside the respective subordinate subnetwork; 
 wherein communication terminals independently generate their device name from topological and/or hierarchical name components and a unique name component inside their respective subnetwork; 
 wherein a functional unit for implementing a distributed naming service is provided for receiving the router advertisements containing name information from superordinate subnetworks; 
 wherein at least one topological and/or hierarchical name component is made available to the router by at least one DHCPv6 server and is distributed by the router. 
 
     
     
       11. The router as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the functional unit for implementing the distributed naming service is additionally provided for the purpose of supplementing the router advertisements containing name information with the topological and/or hierarchical name component associated with the router. 
     
     
       12. The router as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein a functional unit for distributing router advertisements is provided for distributing the router advertisements supplemented with the topological and/or hierarchical name component associated with the router.